Trust in the Water
by Writing4ever4God
Summary: Senna has healed countless physical injuries Tonraq has received since his arrival in the South Pole. Can Senna trust Tonraq enough to help her heal from an emotional injury from her past? My first Senraq story. R/R


Disc: I DO NOT own any of the characters from LOK. They belong to Brike. I do however own anyone you don't recognize, along with the idea for this story.

Enjoy!

A/N: This is my first Senraq story, so please be kind. There will be a few more stories for this pairing to come. They're my favorite adult pairing in LOK.

"Trust in the Water"

Senna shook her head as she tended to the second to last wound on Tonraq's right arm. She couldn't believe that he had gotten himself into this mess. A part of her secretly knew he had done some of it on purpose just to see her again. Another part knew the other half of the injury hadn't been self-inflicted this time. She thought he was well passed this stage of their relationship, but apparently she was wrong. They had been living together for almost a year now and things were wonderful for the most part. They loved one another deeply and they were learning new things about each other daily. As she finished healing the gash, she pulled her hands away.

"There you go. You're good to go," Senna proclaimed. She smiled at him warmly.

"Thanks, honey. Can I ask you something?" Tonraq glanced up at her as he stood. Their eyes locking. He could gaze into her cyan depths for hours and lose himself in her gentle and loving gaze. Despite this, he could see a hint of something else there. Something not so pleasant. Something painful and hidden deep within her heart. He noticed how she would flinch whenever he would place his hand on her shoulder if he had come up from behind her without announcing himself first. He had grown accustom to letting her know it was him before making any physical contact with her now, not wanting to scare her. He never wanted her to be afraid of him. It was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Okay," Senna sat cross legged on the floor of the hut and faced him.

"What made you want to become a healer?" he asked. He frowned when Senna broke eye contact with him.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she could feel the sting of tears welling up behind her cyan orbs.

"I'm sorry," Tonraq apologized, "you don't have to answer."

"My mother," Senna replied as though she hadn't heard him speak. "She was the one who inspired me to go into healing when I grew up."

Tonraq nodded. He could tell Senna was hiding something.

"Senna, I didn't mean to upset you," he started.

"You didn't," Senna assured him. She tried to pull herself together while pushing unpleasant memories to the back of her mind.

"You must miss her a lot," Tonraq said quietly.

Senna nodded. She blinked back more tears as she stood. She led the way out of the hut and Tonraq knew it was his turn to follow her. He did so, still feeling guilty for upsetting her. "I'm really sorry," he apologized again.

"You don't have to be," Senna assured him. She managed a tiny smile for him as she bade him good-bye. "Be careful if you go hunting for more artic hen before you come home tonight."

Tonraq walked out of the hut, feeling like a weight was on his shoulders. He wanted so badly to make up for his mistake, but he didn't know if Senna would let him.

The minute he was gone, Senna let the tears fall. Feeling a gentle hand on her right shoulder, she turned to see Katara standing behind her.

"Did you tell him?" she asked.

Senna shook her head as more tears flowed down her tan cheeks.

"Honey, you have to talk to him sooner or later," Katara gently told her. "Tonraq loves you. He has a right to know. You trust him, don't you?"

"I don't know," Senna whispered.

"Senna, I've watched you two over the last year. He would rather die than let harm come to you or harm you himself. I know it's scary to believe that after what you went through with…but you can't lose faith in all men. Look at Aang. Look at Zuko. There are good men out there, sweetie. And just maybe Tonraq is one of them. Hmmm?" Katara pulled her former student in for a hug, running a hand through Senna's brown hair. "Now I think it's time for you to find out." With that, Katara pulled away from Senna and gently nudged her towards the door.

Senna took a few steps forward before turning back to face Katara.

"It's just so hard to…" her voice trailed off.

"I know, but you can do it. I believe in you. I saw you the first time Tonraq came in here injured from his travels. The minute you started working on him, you cared. That just doesn't go away, Senna. Give him a chance. Who knows? He might just surprise you."

Senna thought about it for a few minutes before taking Katara's advice. She left the hut and went in search of Tonraq. When she didn't find him near the docks, she went to a spot she liked to hang out in when she needed to be alone. Sitting down, she was immediately surrounded by a few penguins and baby seals. She reached out and patted the nearest seal on the head. The sound of approaching footsteps made the young waterbender look up. She smiled a little when she recognized Tonraq. He hesitated as he approached.

"It's okay," Senna assured him, "sit down." She indicated the spot next to her.

"Are you sure?" Tonraq asked.

Senna nodded. Once she saw he was comfortable, she began to speak.

"You don't have to apologize. You didn't upset me. When you asked me what made me want to be a healer, it brought up a lot of bad memories for me," she started.

"I'm-" Tonraq started, but was silenced by Senna holding up her hand.

"It's true that my mother inspired me to want to be a healer, but the reason was anything but pleasant. The man she married had anger issues. My mother thought having a child would help him calm down. But my arrival into the world did nothing to quell his raging storm. We lived in constant fear of setting him off. I wasn't a bad kid. In fact, my personality hasn't changed much from when I was a child. Obviously I was more curious about the world back then. But I was also a quiet and kind child who helped anyone I could. I read a lot and helped my mother around our igloo without being asked. I didn't have many friends because I was rarely allowed outside to play with the other children. My mother didn't want anyone knowing what we were going through. And after he started hurting me too…" Senna's voice trailed off as a few tears streamed from beneath her eyelids. She felt Tonraq rest a hand on her right shoulder. She forced herself not to jerk away. She knew it was him, so she was okay. "Then one day when I was twelve, something small set him off. I'm not sure what it was, but it was bad. Not knowing what else to do, I ran out of the house and just kept running. I ran until I reached Katara's hut. I had a feeling that she had suspected what was going on, but she didn't say anything out of respect for my mother and the tenuous friendship they shared. But when Katara saw my face, she knew something was very wrong…"

***** Flashback**** 

"Senna, what's wrong, honey?" Katara rushed to the pre-teen's side and placed a gentle hand on her right shoulder.

Senna gazed into the eyes of the only adult she trusted. She knew it was time. She had no choice.

"My Mom's in trouble!" she cried. 'she needs your help! He's hurting her and he won't stop!"

Katara gasped at the child's words. She pulled Senna into her arms for a hug. Pulling away, she told her to wait there while she talked to Aang. The next few minutes were agony for Senna. It wasn't long before Katara returned.

"Aang's gonna go get her and bring her here," she explained. "Come inside with me."

Senna allowed Katara to lead her inside. She just prayed the Avatar got there in time…

***Present*** 

Senna took a shaky breath before finishing her story.

"Mom died a few hours after she had been brought to the hut. Katara did all she could, but the injuries were too extensive. Katara took me in and I lived with her ever since. I promised my Mom I would become a healer. I always wanted to help others even before I made that promise to her the night before she died, but after she was gone, I felt an obligation to her."

"Senna, I'm so sorry," Tonraq couldn't help himself. He reached out to embrace her. He pulled back when he saw her back up. "It's okay. I won't hurt you. I know it's hard for you to believe that after everything you just told me, but I won't hurt you. You healed me when I needed your help. Please, let me help you heal from this…"

Senna glanced up at him, her cyan eyes full of tears with more to come. As their eyes locked, she heard Katara's words of wisdom in her head. As she let them wash over her, she felt herself melting into Tonraq's strong and safe embrace. Burying her face against his chest, she allowed years of fear and pain to flow out in a torrent of tears. She heard Tonraq soothing her through words as well as felt his left hand combing through her long, brown tresses as she continued to sob. As she started calming down several minutes later, a surprising feeling washed over her. It was one she wasn't used to feeling except with her mother and Katara. It was certainly a feeling she had never felt with a man in her whole life. For the first time, she was starting to feel…safe with a man. And as she let her eyes close, exhausted from crying so much, she was glad that man was Tonraq. She just prayed he didn't let her down.

****

Senna bolted up in bed, sweating and crying a few hours later. She gazed around the room, not realizing where she was at first. Her heartbeat slowed down when she recognized her room in the house she and Tonraq shared. Hearing footsteps in the doorway, Senna held her breath. She let it out when she recognized the voice now speaking to her.

"Senna? Are you okay?" Tonraq approached her slowly, not wanting to scare her.

"Ye-yes," Senna replied. The minute she felt him sit down beside her, she tried her best to compose herself, but she discovered how quickly she was losing the battle.  
"Senna…it's okay," Tonraq assured her. He reached out tentatively, his arms coming to encircle her in a hug, pulling her gently towards him.  
Senna's first instinct was to pull away, but then she remembered how safe she felt earlier when Tonraq had held her. Letting him pull her close, she let the tears fall as she heard him whispering soothing words into her left ear. She wasn't sure how long she cried, but she soon felt her eyes close once again. She felt herself being laid down. She made a noise of protest and tried to sit up again. She soon heard Tonraq assuring her.

"Shh, Senna, it's okay. I'm just tucking you back in," he helped her to lie back down and covered her with a blanket. Getting up once his task was done, Tonraq went to leave the room, but was stopped by Senna's soft voice.  
"Tonraq?"  
"Yeah?" he walked back over to her bed.  
"Thank you," she whispered. She reached out a hand towards him.  
Tonraq got the jist and sat down in a chair next to the bed. He gently took Senna's hand and held it gently in his. He closed his eyes as he got comfortable and prepared himself for a long night…

***** 

Senna woke up to find the sun streaming into her window. She sat up as the night's events came back to her. She glanced to the right side of the bed and saw it was empty. This wasn't surprising since Tonraq sometimes rose early to go hunting. Whenever he did this, he would gently kiss her on the lips and whisper that he would be back soon. Senna tried to think, but she didn't remember Tonraq doing that this morning. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Senna dressed in silence before going to see if Tonraq was awake yet. Even though the sun was up, Senna could tell it was still early in the morning. Entering the kitchen, she found Tonraq sitting at the table. He was reading a scroll while sipping at some tea. Senna could tell it was mint by the aroma in the air. She got her own cup and sat down across from him.

"Morning," she softly greeted.

Tonraq glanced up and smiled when he saw her sitting there.  
"morning. Are you feeling better this morning?" his eyes were full of concern as he regarded her.  
"A little," she admitted. "Thanks to you. You didn't have to stay last night."  
"I wanted to," he insisted. "Are you hungry?"  
Senna nodded.  
Tonraq smiled, stood and went over to the stove. He set a plate of seaweed noodles and fish in front of Senna, along with some chopsticks. He got a plate for himself before joining her.  
"I didn't know you could cook," Senna dug in as she smiled at him gratefully.  
Tonraq shrugged.  
"My Dad taught me," Tonraq revealed.  
Senna nodded. She took a bite of food before a content smile spread across her face as she swallowed. Once they were both done eating, Senna helped Tonraq do the dishes. They left the house a few minutes later and took a walk together along the shoreline.  
"So you never told me," Senna began, a hint of curiosity in her voice, "What brought you down to the south?"  
Tonraq stopped walking. He frowned as he gazed at the ground. He soon felt a hand lifting his chin upward. Before he knew it, he was looking into Senna's concerned and compassionate cyan eyes.  
"You can talk to me," she reminded him. 'If you don't feel comfortable, I completely understand. But just know I'm here if you wanna talk."  
"Thank you," he said.  
"No thanks needed. I love you," she told him. As the words left her mouth, she wanted to take them back. Not because they were untrue, but because she was afraid how Tonraq would react. She turned away, not wanting to see the expression on his face. Feeling a strong, but gentle hand on her shoulder, Senna chanced a glance backwards. She was surprised at the small smile that was slowly spreading across the northern water tribe man's face. She soon felt herself being pulled into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. She soon felt their lips meet in a kiss.  
"I love you too," he whispered in her ear.  
Senna sighed with relief. She let herself relax into Tonraq's embrace. At that moment, nothing else mattered to her except where she was and whose arms she was in. She knew that it was going to take time, but she was slowly starting to heal from her past. And she had a feeling that if Tonraq had anything to do with it, she would be able to overcome the pain. This meant she would soon be spending a bright future with him full of promise and endless possibilities before she knew it.

THE END


End file.
